Chapter 22: Raising the Price
The He family comes into contact with many customers every day and has a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. Most of them are workers, and it is not uncommon for one person to buy more than ten buns, so this activity will definitely encourage everyone to buy more.
After the promotion was confirmed, Xu Qingmeng began to prepare for tomorrow morning.
The Gu family kitchen has always had the habit of storing rice and flour. When Gu Hongxin was alive, half of the stored flour was almost used up. Xu Qingmeng asked He to go to the rice and flour shop to buy some more in the next two days. It would be best if he could do the same as the butcher and send a few bags every few days.
Now everyone nearby knows that Gu's food shop is very popular and they want a lot of rice and flour. I think the boss should agree.
Xu Qing’s dream was right, but unfortunately, the other party raised the price.
Not long after, He came back angrily.
Xu Qingmeng was a little confused, "Mom, what's wrong? The people at the rice and flour shop don't want to deliver it?"
"Heh, they are willing to give it away, but unfortunately they are raising the price. The previous price will now double," He said angrily, obviously very angry.
After hearing this, Xu Qingmeng frowned. Rice and flour are the biggest consumption. If the price goes up, the cost will increase a lot. Then he thought about it and asked,
"Is the owner of the rice and flour shop related to the steamed bun shop on the street?"
"That shouldn't be the case," He denied. "I haven't heard of it. The key point is that there is only one food store on our street. What should we do?"
After listening to this, Xu Qingmeng roughly figured out the reason. It was probably because they thought they were making money and wanted to take the opportunity to raise the price so as to make more profit.
Xu Qingmeng pondered for a moment and said, "Mom, don't worry, why don't you go to another street first."
After listening to this, He nodded and said, "That's the only way. I'll go ask in other streets."
Fortunately, He finally contacted a rice and flour shop on North Street. The same amount of refined rice and flour is still more expensive, but it is only a little more expensive than the original price, not much. After all, the place is far away, and they are willing to deliver the goods to the door, which is acceptable.
The business will be reopened tomorrow, so more things need to be prepared. After the braised food is sold out, they will hurry up to make preparations. He was helping Xu Qingmeng, but she was still upset and couldn't help cursing.
The two of them were chatting and working casually, and Shen Jinwen came over holding Rongrong and carrying something in his hands.
Mr. Shen liked their regular customers very much. He would come to buy braised food every day. When he got up early in the morning, he would bring back a lot of buns.
Rongrong is timid by nature, but she is particularly attached to Yunsheng and Yunmo. She comes to their house to play almost every day and spends most of the day at Gu's house.
"Go play with your brother and sister for a while," Shen Jinwen put Rongrong down, stood at the kitchen door, opened the bag in his hand, and said to He and Xu Qingmeng, "Aunt He, Madam Gu, thank you for helping to look after Rongrong. Here are some peppers. I'll give you some to try."
Xu Qingmeng's eyes lit up. Although some peppers could be found here, there were very few varieties. However, in Mr. Shen's bag, there were several kinds, including string peppers, two-thorn peppers, bullet peppers, seven-star peppers, beauty peppers, and so on.
As a cook, Xu Qingmeng couldn't help but think of boiled pork slices, spicy fish, and of course hot pot when he saw these peppers. Thinking of those flavors, he couldn't help but swallow.
“I wonder where Mr. Shen bought these peppers?”
Shen Jinwen met Xu Qingmeng's expectant gaze and said,
"I bought these when I was traveling. I like them but can't cook them well, so I kept them here. I brought them to you because I took care of you, my lady, and because you are a good cook. I thought you would be able to use them, so I brought them here. Now I plan to settle down here and find a business to start, so I don't plan to go out anymore. If you want, I can introduce you to a few people who are still traveling, but as for money..."
Xu Qingmeng had been about to give up after hearing the first half, but the second half gave her some hope, so she quickly thanked him.
"It is already a great honor to be able to get this sentence from Master Shen. The rest will not embarrass Master Shen. Here, I would like to thank Master Shen in advance."
When He heard that Mr. Shen wanted to settle down and do business, he immediately asked,
“Mr. Shen, what kind of business are you planning to start?”
"Aunt, I plan to open a shop selling groceries, and I will also have rice, flour, grain, oil, and dry goods."
Not to mention He and Xu Qingmeng were surprised, even Gu Yunyi, who had just walked out of the room, couldn't help but stop.
Anyone who can open a rice and flour shop has a complicated relationship with the imperial court. It must be unusual for Master Shen to have such a channel to open a grocery store.
"Mr. Shen, is this true?"
He couldn't help but ask out loud.
Shen Jinwen looked at He and nodded slightly.
"Aunt, what you said is true. We have almost finished the preparations and will open the business in a few days."
"Mr. Shen, our store is doing good business, and we need a lot of fine white flour every day. I wonder if you have any?"
Shen Jinwen smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry, these can still be supplied, and the rice and flour from our shop are finer than those from other places, and the price will be more reasonable. If you are willing, I can deliver it to you in a few days."
"Oh, that's great. Okay, then please trouble Master Shen to send it over in five days."
He was so happy that she finally lost her previous anger.
Shen Jinwen was also very happy. He came to thank the Gu family. After all, Rongrong spent most of her time at the Gu family. Every time Yun Sheng and Yun Mo ate, there would be a portion for Rongrong. Who knew that he had also attracted a big customer for his unopened shop.
After working all night, Xu Qingmeng and He finally completed all the preparations.
I guess I have to steam one more round of buns tomorrow and grind the beans, so I probably have to get up an hour earlier tomorrow morning. After preparing all this, He let Xu Qingmeng go to bed early.
As for the remaining cleaning and closing work, He was too lazy and just called Gu Yunyi and gave it all to him.
The next morning, while it was still dark, the Gu family had already started to get busy.
He was grinding beans in the yard, while Xu Qingmeng was busy boiling water, rolling out dough, and kneading the skins into round buns. Her fingers flew, and the plump white bun dough filled the entire steamer.
After He's beans were ground, she quickly made soy milk. After scooping out a bucket, Xu Qingmeng started to make tofu pudding.
He first poured boiling water into the open sink, placed a board on top, and put a layer of white sand and a layer of oil paper in the open deep-bottomed basket. After the buns were steamed, she picked them up one by one and piled them up full.
The baskets were specially made, and several of them were made. A piece of paper was pasted in front of each one, on which was the fillings and prices of the buns written by Gu Yunyi. Six baskets were placed side by side on the open counter, four of which contained buns and the remaining two contained pies. There were also four low stoves next to them, on which soy milk and tofu pudding were warmed over a low fire.
(End of this chapter)
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